Posted by A Smith on July 23, 2006

Q: Just yesterday, I found what looked like a crawfish on my patio. It was already dead, dried up, and very fishy smelling. I live in the city and there are no creeks or ponds around my house. It has been pretty wet lately due to lots of rain. There is a small drain that is made into the yard that goes underground near the patio to funnel water off the property. Could this be a crawfish and how could it have gotten there? It looks like a mini lobster with pinchers. Yuck!

Habitat: suburban/yard

State: North Carolina

Habitat: suburban/yard

A: Although we think of crayfish living in streams and lakes, some species actually live in wet burrows in the ground and may be far from running water. Their burrows always have water in the bottom since crayfish have gills and breathe like fish so their burrows are always in wet areas. During the night when its humid or in rainy weather, these crayfish can leave their burrows and forage on the surface. Your patio animal must have gotten lost or too dry before it could get back to its burrow. Many of these burrowing crayfish (depends on the species) leave small chimneys above the ground's surface making it easy to spot where they live - often people have mistaken these for "snake holes". Take a look around in the wet areas near your home and you'll probably see some burrows. Thanks for a good question.

John Wiessinger ( July 24, 2006)